2nd Lecture

The experiential metafunction:

Clause as representation
Metafunctions:
Ideational (construes (menguraikan) human experience) – Transitivity
Interpersonal (enacts (memerankan) human relationships) – Mood & modality
Textual (creates discourse) – Theme/Rheme & Cohesion

Ideational (construes (menguraikan) human experience) – Transitivity

Processes, participants, circumstances

BABY
PRAM
FATHER
PUSH
WALK
HAIR
AWAKE

semantic (role) process participant(s) circumstance

lexicogrammatical verbal group nominal group adverbial group / prepositional
(realization) substantival/adjectival phrase

Processes

 Processes are realised by VERBS.

 Traditionally, verbs have been defined as ‘doing words’. In fact, some verbs are not
doing words at all, but rather express states of being or having. Moreover, there are
different orders of doings and beings.

Michael looked at her for a moment. Then he began to laugh. 'I'm so sorry,' said Michael, 'but
it did sound comic, the way you said it! Cheer up, there's no tragedy. I have to go to the
village this evening, and I'll fetch your suitcase then. It'll be quite safe at the White Lion. Did
you have any lunch by the way? We were wondering about you.

Three questions that can be asked about any process and the clause of which it forms a
nucleus:
1. What kind of process is it?
2. How many participants can/must be involved in the process?
 3. What roles can/must those participants play?
material (‘doing’, ‘causing')
behavioural (‘acting’)
major clause mental (‘thinking’, ‘sensing’, 'evaluating')
(process) types verbal (‘saying’)
relational (‘being’, ‘having’)
existential (‘existing’, ‘appearing’)
meteorological (‘weathering’)
Material processes
Associated participants: Actor & Goal
Actor. the participant always inherent in a material clause. The Actor can be animate
(‘action’) or inanimate (‘event’). The process it participates in may or may not extend to
affect another participant, the Goal.
Actor Process Goal
They were making supper.
Actor Process Circumstance
The car crashed into a tree

Circumstances : answer such questions as when, where, why, how, how many and as what.
Goal Process Circumstance
Rome was not built in a day.
Actor Process Goal
Ambulance crews, firefighters and police helped to rescue passengers

Circumstance
from the water.

Goal Process Actor

The passengers were rescued by ambulance crews, firefighters and
police

Mental processes
Associated participants: Senser & Phenomenon
Phenomenon. Participant role in the transitivity structure of a mental clause: the
phenomenon sensed by the Senser. (Senser in bold; Phenomenon in italics.)
She saw them. She saw them leaving the house.
These people don’t understand functional grammar.
She recognized the dilemma she and every teenager around her found themselves in.
One professor felt we should get our feet dirty.
Sarah fears nothing. Nothing frightens her.
His behaviour disgusted many people. / Many people condemned his behaviour.

Relational processes
• attributive: Associated participants: Carrier & Attribute
• identifying: Associated participants: Token & Value (Identified & Identifier)
A Carrier is construed as being ascribed or attributed to an Attribute: the relation can be
interpreted as one of class-membership – the Carrier is construed as a member of the class
described by the Attribute.

Carrier Process Attribute Circumstance

His clothes Are very expensive.
You Are a fool.
The barracks has become an art gallery now.
Some granite Has large crystals.
The teacher wasn't in her office.
The names of some structures Appear in boxes.
This city park Comes alive on Sundays.
In identifying clauses a general relationship of symbolization is construed between two
participants, the Identified and the Identifier. The relationship can also be characterized as
one between Token and Value:
Identified Identifier
Token Process Value
Each structure expresses one kind of semantic organization.

Identified Identifier
Token Process Value
The course comprises two years of full-time study.

Verbal processes
Associated participants: Sayer and Verbiage (+ Receiver)
 She told me the story of her life.
Sayer process receiver verbiage

 He couldn't say a word.

Sayer process verbiage

Existential processes
Associated participant: Existent (+Circumstance)
1. There is a fly in my soup.
Existential existent circumstance
Behavioural processes
Associated participant: Behaver (+Range)
1. He was laughing.
Behaver behavioural/process
2. They hummed a little tune.
Behaver behavioural range
3. We were watching the news.
Behaver behavioural range

Grammatical characteristics of process types:

Material: typically occur with the progressive in the present tense
Mental: typically occur in the simple present tense
Relational: typically occur in the simple present tense
Behavioural sharing characteristics of material and mental
Verbal sharing characteristics of mental and relational
Existential sharing characteristics of relational and material
The Range Participant

• "the element that specifies the scope of the process"

• "elaborates or enhances the process" (Martin et al 118)
• a ‘complement’ which
o forms a semantic relationship with the verb (cognate, or close in meaning)

o specifies part of the process

o is not affected by the process

I gave a description of the person I saw. (verbal process)

They speak English. (verbal process)
We played tennis the whole afternoon. (material process)
They were singing folksongs. (behavioural)
He played the guitar. (material)
We visited the church. (material)
‘Circumstantial-like’:
They have walked several miles. (material)
I climbed that mountain because it was there. (material)
They reached the North Pole. (material)
We spent the whole morning in town. (material)
The Beneficiary (material and verbal processes)
Beneficiary = (N) a person or group who receives money, advantages, etc. As a result
of something else.
The duke gave my aunt a teapot. (Recipient – 'to whom?')
I sent a letter to everyone who lived in the neighbourhood. (Recipient)
She did me a favour. (Client – 'for whom?')
She posted a letter for me. (Client)
They asked me a lot of questions. (Receiver – 'to whom?')
The general shouted at them. (Receiver)
"Stay with her!" he had said to Mrs. Allen. (Receiver)

Target (verbal processes)

Can you describe the person you saw?
He read and criticized her novel.

Circumstances
Location: Temporal (when?) – She’ll arrive on Thursday.
Spatial (where?) – She lives in Birmingham.
Extent: Temporal (for how long?) – She has lived there for eight years.
Spatial (how far?) – It slid halfway over the floor.
Manner (means/quality/comparison) (how?) – Daddy went off quite happily at 7.40.
He answered with a smile.
Cause: Reason (why?) – We have to be there early as it’s Friday.
Purpose (what for?) – He popped over for a chat.
Behalf (who for?) – He’s doing the shopping for me.
Contingency (concession) {smth that might possibly happen in the future, usually
causing problems or making further arrangements necessary} – Despite his eagerness
he’s unlikely to succeed.
Accompaniment (who/what with?) – She returned with(out) her gun / with her friend.

Role: Guise (what as?) {the appearance of smth or someone} – He returned and
remained at the hotel as an inoffensive tourist.
Product (what into?) – The constable's features broadened into a grin.
Matter (what about?) – I'll wager he learns more about you than you about him.
Angle (from what point of view?) – To a great mind, nothing is little.
.
CIRCUMSTANTIATION
(clipped from
http://minerva.ling.mq.edu.au/Resources/VirtualClassroom/classroom.htm)
Each type of circumstance is realized by a particular set of
prepositional phrases and/ or adverbial groups; prepositions include:

Location: at, by, on, in, to, towards, from, onto, into, out of,
through; above, below, in front of, behind, over, under; after, before,
since, ago ['post-position': ten years ago]
Extent: for, along, across, throughout
Manner: by, with; like, unlike, as; in [a ... way/manner/fashion]
(Note that certain prepositional phrases which appear to be locative
serve as Manner: how did he walk? – he walked on all fours. How did
he leave? – He left in a huff.)
Cause: for, for the sake of, on behalf of; through, of, because of, as
a result of, thanks to, for want of
Matter: about, on, of, regarding, concerning
Accompaniment: with, without; as well as, besides, instead of,
except [for]
Role: as, by way of, in the role/ shape/ guise/ form of

Spatial Temporal
Extent Distance Duration
(including interval) walk (for) seven miles stay (for) two hours
stop every ten yards pause every ten minutes
Frequency
knock three times

Location Place Rest Time Rest

work in the kitchen lecture at noon
eat out in Sydney leave on Tuesday
Motion Motion
get out of the kitchen wait until Tuesday
go to Sydney have worked since Tuesday
(based on Halliday pp 152-153)
o They must have gone a good two miles before they met another car.

o After a couple of miles he turned right into a network of lanes.

o Passengers are regularly forced to stand for up to 70 miles.

On the edge of a jutting pinnacle, three or four hundred feet above him, there stood a
creature somewhat resembling a sheep in appearance, but armed with a pair of
gigantic horns. The big-horn – for so it is called – was acting, probably, as a guardian
over a flock which were invisible to the hunter; but fortunately it was heading in the
opposite direction, and had not perceived him. Lying on his face, he rested his rifle
upon a rock, and took a long and steady aim before drawing the trigger. The animal
sprang into the air, tottered for a moment upon the edge of the precipice, and then
came crashing down into the valley beneath.

Other functions of prepositional phrases

Participant:
o The painting was stolen by one of the guards. (Actor)

o Miss Schwarzkopf is letting herself be tempted by the classic sin of artistic

pride. (Phenomenon)
o I said hello to them. (Receiver)

o I forgot to send a Christmas card to old aunt Jemina. (Recipient)

o I spoke to him in fluent Russian. (Verbiage)

o He plays well on all these instruments. (Range)

o He looks like Kermit the frog. (Attribute)

Part of noun group:

o Nine out of ten students love functional grammar.

Modal or conjunctive adjunct:

o So in fact you didn’t see anything at all.

o These people are by definition realists.

Verb + preposition + noun = Predicator + Complement

o I’m looking for my glasses. (Behavioural process + Range)

o He switched on the computer. (Material process + Goal)

Projecting – verbal processes

William said, "How can it be new when it’s old?"

He said that he was a detective.
He asked me if I would stand by the bargain
Projecting Projected
"To a great mind, nothing is little," remarked Holmes, sententiously .
Projected Projecting

Summary of processes and participants:

 Process type Associated Example Other
participant(s)
material Actor, Goal Stella opened the door Range
(Beneficiary) Circumstance

behavioural Behaver She was smiling.

mental: Senser, She didn’t see anyone.
perceptive, Phenomenon She couldn’t understand it.
cognitive & She hated being tricked.
affective
verbal Sayer, Verbiage She told the truth.
(Receiver)
relational: Identifier, Her brother was the host.
intensive, Identified The silence was threatening
circumstantial Token, Value The neighbours were at
& possessive Carrier, Attribute home.
They had a big dog.
Possessor,
Possessed

existential Existent There was a madwoman in

the attic.

Tasks:
Supply the transitivity (experiential analysis) of these sentences

Mary has written a letter

(experiential)
Mood Residue (interpersonal)
Subject | Finite Predicator | Complement
Theme Rheme (textual)

Mary likes poetry.

Mood Residue
Subject | Finite Predicator | Complement
Theme Rheme

Mary is taller than me.

Subject Finite + Predicator Complement

Theme Rheme

Models are her most important idols.

Subject Finite + Predicator Complement

Theme Rheme

Her most important idols are models.

Subject Finite + Predicator Complement

Theme Rheme

There has been a burglary in our house.

Mood Residue
Theme Rheme

The children asked us a lot of questions.

Subject Finite + Predicator Complement Complement

Theme Rheme

I watch these models on TV.

Subject Finite + Predicator Complement Adjunct

Theme Rheme

He is on holidays at the moment

Subject Finite + Predicator Adjunct Adjunct
Theme Rheme

She has left her husband for him

Subjet Finite Predicator Complement Adjunct

Theme Rheme

Texts for analysis:

Identify the process types used in these two advertisements for cars. Concentrate on
the main clauses. What can the process types reveal about the general style of the
text?
What matters is what car you're in. In the new Renault Mégane,
prior to impact, our anti-lock braking system helps you maintain
control. Collision sensors then fire tiny, explosively-charged clasp
pre-tensioners to tug any slack out of your safety belt – binding
you into your seat. 10 milliseconds later, a two-stage front airbag
inflates, holding your chest and had in place far more gently than
conventional systems. (Lateral airbags do the same in a side
impact and are seat-mounted to be in the right position whatever
your height.) After 70 milliseconds, seatbelt tension transfers to
steel shock-absorbing belt mounts. They deform with pressure,
taking the strain in place of your chest and shoulders. Close
protection head rests cradle your head and neck against
'whiplash'. That's in the first tenth of a second. You've hardly
realised you're going to crash. Yet already everything vital for your
safety has happened. So far this year, our Systems for Restraint
and Protection, or SRP, as we call it, has won the Mégane 'Safest
Car in its Class' rating at the official Euro NCAP crash tests and What
Car? magazine's coveted Safety Award. By all means invest effort
and discipline looking and feeling a young as you can. But do it
thankful that our concerns have been the opposite. We want you to
get old.

Call 0800 525150or visit www.renault.co.uk

Stay beautiful

The New Mégane

Safest car in its class.

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The car in front is a TOYOTA YARIS